Hagetmau to Bordeaux – 175 km – Photos: A.S.O.
Stage 7 entered Bordeaux with a sprinters’ stage. And it was Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) who dominated his rivals in the sprint finish, taking his fourth victory in the event after previous successes in 2021 and 2025. The final sprint to the finish order was:
1. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
2. Soren Warerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility)
3. Biniam Girmay (NSN)
4. Max Kanter (XDS Astana)
5. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Merlier now claims Belgium’s 24th victory in Bordeaux, confirming the nation’s supremacy in the city just three years after Jasper Philipsen did the same. This time, the Alpecin-Premier Tech sprinter had to settle for fifth place, while Soren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) and Biniam Girmay (NSN) completed the day’s top three.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG) survived the day to retain the Maillot Jaune on the eve of another flat stage to Bergerac.
The Maillot Jaune placements did not change today.
The Details
After surviving the final Pyrenees showdown, sprinters eye their second opportunity of the Tour de France, a couple of days after Olav Kooij’s victory in Pau. From Hagetmau to Bordeaux, the route is mostly flat, with just 850 metres of elevation gain (the lowest value in this Tour, excluding time trials). Côte de Béguey (cat. 4) is the only categorised ascent of the day, with its summit 37.8 kilometres from the finish.
Veistroffer Breaks Out Again –With Otruba
One hundred and seventy six men rolled out of Hagetmau, while Torstein Træen (Uno-X Mobility) was absent after he crashed while defending the Maillot Jaune.
Just like he did en route to Pau, Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto Intermarché) attacked as soon as the flag dropped on the roads of the Landes department, (a department associated with André Darrigade, whose tally of 22 Tour stage wins was surpassed the day before by Tadej Pogacar). This time, Veistroffer was joined at the front by Jake Otruba (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) as they headed to Mont-de-Marsan (km 25.9), Luis Ocaña’s adopted hometown.
Tim Merlier’s Soudal Quick-Step and Jasper Philipsen’s Alpecin-Premier Tech took the reins at the front of the peloton to control the breakaway. The gap never got higher than 1’35’’ (km 87). Given the tight situation, Uno-X Mobility and a handful of counter-attackers tried to bridge the gap but they were quickly pulled back.
Sprinters’ teams unite, then battle it out
Olav Kooij’s Decathlon CMA CGM and Biniam Girmay’s NSN fomented a chase, although Soudal Quick-Step and Alpecin-Premier Tech were the most active in leading the train. Contextually, it was the last stage finish in Bordeaux, in 2023, when Philipsen powered to his fifth Tour win ahead of Mark Cavendish, the previous winner (in 2010) in a city that often smiles on sprinters.
Veistroffer was first across the intermediate sprint in Landiras (km 120.2), where Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) also got the better of his rivals for the Green Jersey. The Frenchman was also first atop the Côte de Béguey (km 137.3). He received the combativity award for the second time in three days.
Merlier flies past Philipsen
Veistroffer and Otruba were eventually reeled in 18 kilometers from the finish line. Anders Skaarseth and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) launched a couple more attacks, but the sprinters’ teams reacted to stay in control all the way to Bordeaux.
Alpecin-Premier Tech enter the final kilometer in the lead. Jasper Philipsen was still at the front when he opened up his sprint, with just over 200 meters to go. But he was rapidly passed as his former teammate Tim Merlier who powered past to take his fourth stage win in the Tour ahead of Soren Waersenkjold (Uno-X Mobility) and Biniam Girmay (NSN). With this new success, Soudal Quick-Step have now won in every Tour since 2013, with a total of 40 victories across 14 editions.
The top six in the GC are:
| Rank | Rider | Team | Times | Gap | B | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  T. POGACAR | UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG | 24h 56′ 17” | – | B : 26” | – |
| 2 |  J. VINGEGAARD | TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE | 24h 58′ 59” | + 00h 02′ 42” | B : 12” | – |
| 3 |  I. DEL TORO | UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG | 24h 59′ 44” | + 00h 03′ 27” | B : 14” | – |
| 4 | R. EVENEPOEL | RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE | 24h 59′ 47” | + 00h 03′ 30” | B : 4” | – |
| 5 | J. AYUSO | LIDL-TREK | 24h 59′ 51” | + 00h 03′ 34” | – | – |
| 6 | P. SEIXAS | DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM | 25h 00′ 12” | + 00h 03′ 55” | – | – |
